Gamer's Wardrobe: Eat, Sleep, Play Minecraft Satchel

Something different for this week's edition of Gamer's Wardrobe, not another T-Shirt - a satchel bag!

My mam bought me this for my 22nd birthday, as such, I cannot tell you where she got it from, or how much it was - but if you know, feel free to let me know. :)

It's a great bag, it's got some little pockets in the front under the velcro flap and it's big enough to take all of my crap with me to work - my lunchbox, 3DS to play on my lunch breaks and my iPod, complete with massive headphones. And it also advertises to the world that I play Minecraft. Albeit more than I actually do. :P

Unboxing: Arcade Block November 2015

This is my first monthly Arcade Block. :)

For a fee of $20 CANADIAN per month, Arcade Block will send you a lovely box of gaming merchandise, including a T-shirt. Shipping costs vary, depending on where you live, and larger T-shirt sizes cost a few $ extra - overall, my boxes including shipping, work out at about £24.

I can also confirm, this box was shipped on the 25th of November and arrived at my house on the 5th of December - 10 days shipping from Canada to the UK, not too bad.




And here's a closer look at some of the contents:

Halo 5 2016 calendar

Uncharted Titans vinyl figure

Resident Evil mansion key (Sword Key)

The Legend of Zelda wine cork

Angry Birds K'Nex blind bag

Yoshi ugly Christmas sweater T-shirt

Stay tuned for more Arcade Block unboxings!

Unboxing: Arcade Block Grab Block #1

I'm a proud subscriber to Nerd Block's Arcade Block monthly subscription box - every month, I'm sent a lovely box of video game merchandise, including a T-shirt. 

They cost $20 CANADIAN. Therefore, are much cheaper than most other subscription boxes. Including shipping costs to the UK, they only cost me around £24, which also includes the extra cost for asking for a larger T-shirt size. Fucking awesome.

Every month, you can also order a GRAB BLOCK - which cost $10 CANADIAN; half the price of a regular monthly box - and as far as I can see, Grab Blocks are a mash up of items and shirts given away in previous months - ideal if you're a collector or a new subscriber who missed out on previous months' items.

Here's my unboxing of my first (of no doubt many) Grab Blocks:




And here's a closer look at some of the contents:

Mortal Kombat Scorpion plush

Scott Pilgrim VS The World: The Game soundtrack

Scott Pilgim/Rock Band wristband

Sonic The Hedgehog fridge magnets

Sonic: Worlds Unite #1 comic (with Arcade Block variant cover)

Team Fortress 2 Team Red VS Team Blue T-shirt

Stay tuned for more Arcade Block unboxings!

And here's an exclusive for my blog readers; one of the testing videos Shelly and I filmed while we were deciding on the best angle to film at:


(This video is totally unlisted, only awesome blog readers will ever get to see it. :D)

Viscera Cleanup Detail - Before & After - Section 8

I've found somewhat of a niche on YouTube... 

There's lots of Let's Play style videos of my current gaming obsession: Viscera Cleanup Detail - but nothing like what Shelly and I are working on - Before & After level tours!

Basically, I tour around a level before the cleaning work starts - showing off how bad the mess is, and offering my own tips on how to tackle certain level aspects - then I tour around the level after achieving a 100% cleanliness rating; showing off stacking areas and the like.

So, as a trial run - we had a go at the smallest level in the game: Section 8. The video turned out better than I thought, so stay tuned for more levels!

I'VE GOT POKÉRUS AGAIN!!!

Remember before when I documented the first time I encountered the rare EV-raising disease known as Pokérus? 

Well, Shelly and I are playing through Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver again - this time we're only playing it together - quite easy to do, seeing as how we live together now - and last time I contacted Pokérus.

Well, I was having a faff around on Pokémon Sapphire, catching some stuff to trade into mine and Shelly's games via the Pal Park feature. As you can see, I have found something again...

I'm bloody annoyed. I've always wanted to catch a shiny Pokémon. For those who don't know, the odds of encountering a shiny Pokémon are 1 in 8192. The odds of catching Pokérus, which by the way, doesn't just appear in battle like a shiny Pokémon does - you need to defeat or capture a wild Pokémon to get it - running doesn't work (hence the reason I never run) - the odds are 1 in 21,845.

I've caught Pokérus TWICE, on two different games - and NEVER found a shiny!

Of course, the poxy red Gyarados doesn't count...

Unboxing Video: 1995 Sonic The Hedgehog McDonald's Happy Meal Toys

I love eBay. :)

My latest find was a set of SEALED Sonic The Hedgehog Happy Meal toys from 1995 - 20 years old, potentially older than some of my readers.

So of course, I decided to upset some collectors and tear into the 20-year-old plastic bags for my latest unboxing video.


In the 90s, McDonald's Happy Meal toys came in smaller sets, usually of four or five - unlike the sheer mountains they bring out nowadays - so the complete set only contains four figures; Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Dr Robotnik - I originally thought they were from Sonic & Knuckles, which was the Sonic game released in 1995 - but they're actually from Sonic The Hedgehog 3, the US had these figures two years previously, in 1993.

Here's some close-up photographs of each toy:

Sonic The Hedgehog

Dr Robotnik

Miles "Tails" Prower

Knuckles The Echidna

The complete set

Shelly managed to find the original US commercial for these figures on YouTube - it's quite funny. 

Also, notice how the design of the Tails toy has changed? Perhaps the original design was dangerous?

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Shelly Can't Build Snowmen

As you are no doubt aware, if you've ever played an Animal Crossing game in the Wintertime before - when it's snowy in your town, you can build snowmen. In the original Animal Crossing, you could only build standard snowmen, who would then send you snowmen furniture in the mail if you had built them with the correct proportions.

In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, you can now build a whole family of snowmen, all of whom will give you different rewards - a big snowman who is the dad, two medium sized snowmen that are a boy and their mother and a little snowman, who is called a Snowtyke. 

This is what a completed family looks like:

One day, while playing Animal Crossing, Shelly had a little accident when building a snwoman. She was going for a medium-sized one - but accidentally rolled the body onto the head - which made the game think the small body was meant to belong to a Snowtyke. Then this happened:

If I ever need cheering up, I just look at these screenshots of Shelly's ridiculously top-heavy snowman. I thought it was hilarious at the time, and still do. :)

Unboxing Video: 1999 Team Rocket "Devastation" Pokémon TGC Theme Deck

I've recently got back into collecting Pokémon cards - basically I dug out my old box of cards, bought myself an Ultra Pro binder, 50 card sleeves and began sorting out my old 1990s cards into numerical order. My favourite set, despite how unplayable they are in the competitive TCG are the Team Rocket set.

To boost my collection, I bought myself a theme deck - which was new, but not shrink-wrapped for £12 on eBay. I've been wanting to film an UNBOXING video for a while now - so I thought I'd start with this theme deck - the 1999 Team Rocket "Devastation" deck.

As you can see, I've finally got around to verifying my stupid YouTube account and began making my own video thumbnails. They're so pretty. :)

How To Beat Dead Rising's "7 Day Survivor" Achievement

Every time I come across a list of the "hardest achievements EVAR", the "7 Day Survivor" achievement from Dead Rising always seems to be present. But why is that weird? Because I have it. I've managed to do the challenge TWICE, actually, just to prove that the first time I did it wasn't just a fluke.

At first glance, yes, the achievement is quite intimidating and does SOUND quite difficult - but it's not difficult, it's just time consuming.

Before I delve into the guide, I'll drop the bombshell - if you want this achievement, you will need to play Dead Rising's infinity mode for a total of FOURTEEN consecutive real-time hours, with no saves, no pauses, no breaks, no anything.

This might sound intimidating, but not as bad as it sounds. If you follow this guide, you will spend the vast majority of your time standing around in a safe area, simply keeping an eye on Frank's health. You will have time to eat, drink and take the occasional piss. If you are a responsible adult and have commitments like work, college, university etc. - you will need to get up early or go to bed late - find yourself a free fourteen hours somewhere.

Frank's health slowly depletes over time - thus, you need to constantly feed him. He will lose one block of health every 1 minute and 40 seconds - from a full health bar of 12 blocks, it will take approximately 18 minutes for Frank to be down to 1 block of health, and approximately 20 minutes to die. So I would say it is safe to leave him unattended for 15 minutes (in a safe area, of course) - giving you chance to eat, drink and piss.

----------------------------------------------------------

This probably goes without saying, but before you attempt this challenge - get Frank to level 50. This won't be hard, as you need to complete the original game and the overtime mode before you even unlock infinity mode - and you can grind levels while you're going for the...

Real Mega Buster - obviously. Attempt this challenge without this, and your balls are too big for your own good. Food items do not respawn once you've eaten them - so the only way to collect more is by killing psychopaths and survivors - most of which will die with two or three hits from the Real Mega Buster.

Find the magazines - you will need the three magazines that affect food and health, these are:

• One is located in the empty room next to Crislip's in North Plaza, where three survivors are locked up in story mode
• One is located in the bookshop The Sinister Read in the Entrance Plaza
• One is located in Sir Book-A-Lot in the Wonderland Plaza, where you found the "Japanese tourists" in story mode

Collect food - Food is obtained in two ways - found lying around the mall (which will NOT respawn), and dropped from survivors/psychopaths that randomly spawn and will continue to do so for as long as you play, even if you've previously defeated them. The boxes that people drop contain a mix of weapons and food - and these will disappear upon leaving an area - any food you leave behind will be lost. Thus, it is a better idea to pick up food from these boxes before you scavenge the food that's dotted around the mall - as long as you don't pick these up, they will stay there.

Find a safe spot - The safe spots I remember using the most are standing on top of the gazebo in the outdoor park area, locking myself in the back room of the cinema and hiding on top of the cardboard boxes in North Plaza - anywhere that's quiet, where the zombies cannot climb up to get you. You'll spend a lot of time hiding out and keeping Frank fed - you don't need to be dealing with zombies too.

Cook all of your food - you don't want your food to spoil, considering how bloody scarce it is; find a pizza or a steak? COOK IT. They don't spoil if they're cooked (of course they don't...), and thus will provide you with the maximum amount of healing potential.

WARNING - Do not ENTER or LEAVE the Food Court on DAY FOUR. The game will freeze, ruining EVERYTHING. I avoided the Food Court at all costs because of this - using alternative routes, such as the short-cut in the toilets.

----------------------------------------------------------

My strategy was this:

• Collect the books, Real Mega Buster, the katana and a combat knife or two
• Mooch around the mall, being careful not to get grabbed or attacked - finding psychos/survivors and filling my inventory with food
• Wait in a safe area, healing until I run of food
• Lather, rinse and repeat

There are many detailed guides on how much each food item heals and when and where the psychos/survivors spawn - but not to blow my own trumpet, I managed to complete this achievement the first time without any internet - my internet had gone down and I decided to have a crack at some achievements I didn't need an online guide for.

If I can do it, so can you. Go on, I believe in you. :)

Glitchfest: Oblivion's Nose-Picker

Glitches? In a Bethesda game? Don't be silly.

While playing through Oblivion for the 2nd or 3rd (I don't remember) time, I snapped this pic of an amusing situation. Not a glitch, per se - but as the entire world freezes as you enter a conversation - we've got this Dunmer guy in the background who looks like he's about to start picking his nose. :)

Have you ever had anything funny happen in the background of Oblivion, Fallout or any Bethesda game for that matter, when the screen freezes? Let me know in the comments below. :)

Ash's Birthday Cards: Animal Crossing

In August of 2013, Shelly bought herself a pink 3DSXL, and thanks to a promotion that Argos was running at the time, she bought Animal Crossing: New Leaf and received a code for a 2nd person to download the game - obviously, that person was me - and we spent months playing the game together - actually, we still do dip into it from time to time - I'm only missing the scorpion from the bug collection and I have a completed museum...

Anyway, the following October, for Shelly's 25th birthday - Ash drew her this lovely Animal Crossing: New Leaf card, complete with the iconic birthday cake. :)

Video Game Anagrams I

I'm a fan of anagrams - well, any word puzzles really. I'm an absolute beast at the XBLA title Quarrel - and can kick arse at any in-game puzzles that are based around words. Of course, I never figured out the "Memento Mori if the nineth lion ate the sun" anagram in Virtue's Last Reward, but what can you do.

So, I chose a few games, and anagrammed them - admittedly with a little help from the amazing website Anagram Genius - then re-made their logos by scrambling the letters in Photoshop. I may make a few more in the future... :)

Left 4 Dead, Guitar Hero, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Overlord and Alan Wake - enjoy:

Fallout 4 Beer: Thoughts of a Cynical, Teetotal Brit

If you've even remotley interested in following the news about Fallout 4 - you've no doubt seen the many special editions, limited runs of merchandise, the collector's edition strategy guides and store/site exclusive deals and bundles - personally I'm getting the PC version from Amazon, with their limited edition artbook and stuff, and the collector's edition of the survival guide.

But have you seen this?

This is Fallout beer - and as far as I know, it's exclusive to us gamers here in the UK. The beer itself is made by Carlsberg, comes in crates of 12 and you need to be over 18 in order to purchase it - 18 of course, being both our legal drinking age and the PEGI rating for Fallout 4.

But I shan't be buying it. Why? Well, there's a few reasons.

1. I don't really drink - and when I do drink, I drink peach schnapps with a mixer, or just plain fruit cider - beer is fucking awful, I would rather drink cat piss - and I could get that for free.

2. The crate retails for £30 - which is £2.50 PER BOTTLE. Beer should not be that fucking expensive. I've seen some single bottles of ciders retail for around that price - but unless we're in some skanky bar, beer shouldn't cost that much. They're also only 330ml - the same amount that's in a tin of pop - not the standard 500ml! (And again, 500ml is the same as a bottle of pop, for those who aren't metric-ally minded.)

3. Even if I was going to keep them as a collectable - how long will it be before the beer goes off? I know beer itself is fermented - but it seems more likely that the empty bottles will become collectables, rather than the full ones - and there doesn't seem to be a really limited supply - so they won't be worth much for a while anyway. Also, how am I supposed to keep them safe? Everything on my collectables shelf is at risk of being knocked off by cats - most of the things are plastic or metal, and won't break if knocked. Keeping full glass bottles safe would just be a massive pain in the arse.

4. Fallout 4 beer has NOTHING to do with Fallout. Remember the beer bottles in Fallout? They're plain brown, and most likely brewed by Wasteland survivors. There is no branded beer available in the Wasteland - so why didn't they market a product that actually IS? Nuka Cola is the obvious choice of course, but some argue that that isn't possible due to the blatant parodying of Coca-Cola - OK fine, then what about Sunset Sarsaparilla? That's a unique Fallout product. What about their brands of scotch and whiskey? They have labels. Admittedly, a bottle of scotch or whiskey would retail for far more than beer - but I still bet people would buy it.

And why does it have to be a drink? Market some Fallout snacks - fucking Sugar Bombs, Radioactive Gum Drops, Bubblegum that comes with a pirate tattoo - fuck, even some real branded food products - I'll bet Kraft would do a deal and make real Blamco Mac N Cheese, Heinz could cash in with Pork N Beans - there's so much wasted potential here. 

And let's not forget, Fallout have included a REAL WORLD product in their games before. Bawls Guarana - a real-world energy drink that comes in blue glass bottles was featured in advertising and as a pick-up item in the spin-off game Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. I bought some bottles to try just because of that game. It seems bloody standard for games nowadays to be filled with product placement - would it be too weird to have a dusty old bottle or irradiated package of a real-world product? Probably not.

Rareware VS Microsoft VS Nintendo - Comic!

Do you remember when Rareware (now known as simply 'Rare') were bought by Microsoft in 2002? They used to be in cahoots majorly with Nintendo and thus were responsible for some amazing N64 games, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Jet Force Gemini, Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, to name a few.

But, around the time of the 5th console generation (PS2/Gamecube/Xbox/Dreamcast), Rareware were bought by Microsoft, and they started making games for the Xbox - including a remastered version of Conker's Bad Fur Day, the amazingly underrated Grabbed By The Ghoulies and later on, when the Xbox 360 was released, the Viva Piñata series and quite possibly the shittiest Banjo-Kazooie game ever, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.

Anyway, I made a comic. I was doodling one day and basically drew the scene below - so I decided to squeeze out a comic using my very limited Photoshop skills.

So here it is, my interpretation of what happened when Microsoft bought Rareware:

"Prickly Animal" Fingerless Gloves?

I love knock-off products - simply because some of them are just so badly done, they're hilarious.

I was mooching around Amazon a while ago, looking for a birthday present for Shelly. I was looking for Sonic The Hedgehog T-Shirts - so I searched for "Sonic The Hedgehog" in the clothing department. Amongst the endless boys' pyjamas, shirts and socks - I found this gem:

"Prickly Animal" fingerless gloves? LMAO! 

No wonder they're currently unavailable, they must've sold out in fucking droves!

Glitchfest: The Sims 3, The Naked Private Investigator

The Sims 3 is a game that is prone to all sorts of weird glitches - I've had my game glitch out tons of times, but none of them have been all that interesting to document - mainly freezing and items losing their textures - but a few weeks ago, I experienced a genuinely entertaining glitch.

Most of the time, I tend to only play with one Sim and sometimes a few pet Sims - mainly myself - I like to try everything once, all the skills and careers, for example. So, I decided to try out the Private Investigator career on this save. For those who don't know, it's a career that came with the Ambitions expansion pack and allows you to solve crimes, all while rocking a trench-coat and wielding a magnifying glass.

Except, when my character went to put on her trench-coat for a case - this happened:

Yeah. My Sim decided to wander around naked. What I found odd was that she took off everything except a ring on her hand and a bracelet. My Sim, being me of course, also wears glasses - but she took those off too.

What made this even more hilarious was the animations private investiagators use - they sneak around on tiptoe with their magnifying glass, mooching around a public park looking for clues - naked.

What's also quite disturbing is that I tried to make my Sim accurate to me - she turned out a bit thinner due to her height - honestly, I think all Sims are like 6 feet tall - the only person I've managed to make accurate to their height and build is Shelly, because she is almost 6 feet tall - I kinda DO look like this naked... Just with a bit of a bigger belly - but the arse is weirdly accurate...

Don't you think it's odd that even though the Sims don't have any pubic hair/genital features or nipples - EA found it necessary to give her fucking TAN LINES around her arse?! 

Bear in mind, I don't use any mods with The Sims 3 - I have all of the expansion packs and stuff packs, and all of the store content I could torr- ...legally download - I have no idea what could have caused this glitch, but browsing YouTube, I'm not the only one it's happened to. 

And so you can experience the hilarity of the naked private investigator animations, here's a video. Enjoy.

Jitendra, The EA Customer Service Robot

One of the downsides of buying games 2nd hand or preowned is that often, DLC codes or codes used to import content onto your harddrive have already been used by their previous owner.

This happened to me when I bought a 2nd hand copy of Rock Band 2. At the time, I was still in college - thus, had a lack of funds to spend on games - so practically everything I bought was 2nd hand - usually from the local CeX in town. I'd previously imported the songs from Rock Band 1 and the song packs - as I like to have a massive library to choose from. I was due to get Rock Band 3 when it came out, so I wanted to import the songs from Rock Band 2 as well.

When I discovered that my Rock Band 2 came without a manual, and thus, without the code that was printed on the back of the manual - I decided to take my issue to the EA customer service department on their website.

Long story short, I ended up buying another copy of Rock Band 2 that had a manual and a code and trading in my old copy back to CeX. Why? Well read the conversation I had with Jitendra, the EA Customer Service Robot and find out for yourselves:

-------------------------------------------------------

Jitendra: Hi, my name is Jitendra. How may I help you?

2406577524: Hi, when I bought my copy of Rock Band 2, it didn't come with a manual and I wanted the code to import the songs - is there a way I can get a replacement?

Jitendra: For replacement you need to contact the warranty department.

Jitendra: Could you please let me know the exact issue.

2406577524: I don't have a code to import the songs into Rock Band 3

Jitendra: All right. In order to resolve your issue, may I know your  E mail account associated with your EA account?

2406577524: mog_anarchy@hotmail.co.uk

Jitendra: May I have your date of birth please.

2406577524: 24/09/91

Jitendra: I am sorry. Date of birth is not match with the detail available in our data base .

2406577524: 24th of September 1991

Jitendra: I am sorry its not correct.

Jitendra: Could you please let me know any game key which is registered under your account.

2406577524: The Sims 3 is registered, where do I find the key?

2406577524: Oh, I found it - it's BDTM-6DYS-BU9W-VE8Q

2406577524: Sorry, the one on the back of the manual - 19425

Jitendra: All right. Please wait.

Jitendra: Kindly use this code   B39NPNHCHXMCHCPJ

2406577524: Thanks for helping

Jitendra: Kindly try with the given code and then let me know  whether it's working or not..

Jitendra: It's working or not.

2406577524: Hold on a second

2406577524: No, it says the code isn't valid

2406577524: Will the code work on the PAL version?

Jitendra: Pal version? What exactly it mean.

2406577524: The European version of Rock Band 2

Jitendra: All right. please wait. I provide  you the another code.

Jitendra: G3B9-35BQ-QAHL

Jitendra: Kindly try with this code.

2406577524: It says the code isn't valid either

Jitendra: Again.

Jitendra: Wait let me check.

Jitendra: PNGM-79NA-FDET

Jitendra: Kindly use this code.

2406577524: That one doesn't work either.

2406577524: The PAL version codes are 25-digits long, these are too short.

Jitendra: B3ZCGG83XPCG7A7A

Jitendra: Try this.

2406577524: Doesn't work.

Jitendra: Wait let me check why its happening.

Jitendra: I suggest you please contact our warranty department.

2406577524: OK thanks for helping

You have disconnected.

The Best & Worst Fallout 3 & New Vegas DLCs

Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas continually duke it out to see which is my favourite of the two - they're so damn similar - see Between Two Wastelands - it can be hard to choose. Ultimately, I tend to plump for Fallout 3, because it seems like a bigger and overall better game, with more locations, characters, better music and better quests - but Fallout: New Vegas has many features I love too, like hardcore mode and the faction rankings.

Anyway - because these games are so similar, I decided that I could compare their DLCs easily, and compile this list - my favourite and least favourite of the Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas DLCs. There are 9 in total, with 5 from Fallout 3 and 4 from Fallout: New Vegas. I'm not including the Courier's Stash or Gun Runners Arsenal in this countdown, because as far as I'm concerned - they're just item packs and don't add any new characters, quests, locations or storylines.

Also, bear in mind - I enjoyed ALL of these DLCs in their own way - just some, I enjoyed WAY more than others. I recommend you buy them ALL - because they're worth buying, none of them should be totally avoided.

Obviously, this countdown contains SPOILERS.

----------------------------------------------------------

9. Operation: Anchorage 
My least favourite DLC is Fallout 3's Operation: Anchorage.If this DLC was related to any game other than Fallout, I would probably have been kinder to it. To me, this just isn't Fallout. I like the concept behind it - showing you the events surrounding the liberation of Anchorage and how it lead to the current Fallout setting - but was virtual reality the best way to do it? To me, this just doesn't feel like the same game, it feels like one of those less-than-wonderful 1st-person-shooter titles... It's also far too linear, allowing for VERY little exploration. Also, is it me, or do you think the person you play as in the virtual reality shouldn't be your character? To me, it seemed odd that all of your stats and stuff carried over - I think it would have been cooler if you got to play as a different person with a different skillset. Also, because it's virtual reality - you don't get to keep any of your lovely spoils - in fact, you can't loot corpses or pick up random clutter - you are only allowed to interact with specific objects. It's too restrictive and it's too linear - this is not Fallout.

8.  Honest Hearts
My second least favourite DLC out of all the DLCs in Fallout 3 and New Vegas is the 2nd one from New Vegas, Honest Hearts. This is another DLC, which to me doesn't feel like a Fallout game. The whole area isn't too different from the Mojave Desert - perhaps this would have been a better DLC for Fallout 3? The contrast between the urban Capital Wasteland and the Zion Canyon would have been so cool - but to me, there isn't much of a difference between the Mojave and Zion. The new tribal style weapons and crafting recipes were pretty cool - but to me, the choice system didn't feel too different - which was evident by the fact you received the same XP and prizes no matter what path you chose - the followers were quite meh and the whole area was rather small and sparse with hardly anywhere to explore. It's also the DLC that feels the shortest overall to me - and left the smallest impression - in fact, I had to replay the bloody thing to remind myself of what happens in order to write this countdown!

7. Dead Money
Next is the first DLC released for Fallout: New Vegas, Dead Money. Now, on paper, the whole poisonous cloud idea sounded pretty good - it seemed like something that would really fit in with the whole hardcore mode survival aspect - adding to that is the fact that when you first arrive, you are stripped of all of your items - making so you had to cope with what you could find - also, very cool. However - the poisonous cloud? It's a massive PAIN IN THE FUCKING ARSE. It's fucking EVERYWHERE and there's no way to bloody get rid of it. Adding to this, the questline is a bit meh, the characters are a bit meh - I'm a pacifist, I tried to keep everyone happy so I didn't have to kill anyone - screw up one dialogue check and that plan goes out of the window - it's damn near impossible to get all of the gold bars without cheating or following a painstaking route, the Sierra Madre itself seems a bit barren, not really much to do - can't return to the area once it's completed - Mehhhh.

6. Broken Steel
Next on the list is the Broken Steel DLC from Fallout 3. While I appreciate what this DLC set out to do, for first-time players - it can prove to be a massive pain in the arse. Case in point - the fucking Super Mutant Overlords! These twats are designed to be fought at higher levels, like what you would be when you attempt this post-game DLC quest - but no, they get threw into the early areas of the game too, and can very easily overpower you, unless you use grenades or set your difficulty to Very Easy. I liked the quests that revolved around the Aqua Pura or Aqua Cura - but I didn't like the final quest with Liberty Prime and all the other Brotherhood bullshit, so I didn't really enjoy the continuation - unlike in Fallout: New Vegas, you couldn't choose who to side with, it was thrust upon you. Also, as most of the quests took place in existing areas, there weren't many new lands or areas to explore, just new Capital Wasteland ones crowbarred into existing areas. Meh.

5. The Pitt
Next is the second DLC from Fallout 3, The Pitt. This DLC really gives you a chance to be totally on whatever moral side you want to be - virtuous paragon or cold-blooded devil. You start out as a slave and are forced to compete in an arena, fighting other slaves, as well as going on scavenger hunts around a dangerous factory infested with mutants to find steel ingots - eventually allowing you climb the ranks of slaves until you can be accepted as a slaver, rather than a slave. The final quest then makes you choose which group to side with - perfect for those who prefer a good or evil character, not so great for those who like to remain neutral. I would also say that the scavenger hunt quest is a perfect opportunity to explore, but the DLC lacks player homes, massive open areas to explore and followers - the standard goodies most DLCs come with.

4. Point Lookout
Next is the Point Lookout DLC from Fallout 3. As you've probably gathered, I like to explore. Any huge open area with lots of locations to discover is bound to be a hit with me. Hence Point Lookout, which has what I believe to be the biggest new map added by a DLC - I spent a long time mooching around this great place, picking the wild Punga Fruit and fighting off the psycho hill-billy locals - not only is it great for explorers, the quests aren't half bad either - especially the quest that involves ingesting the hallucinogenic seeds of the Mother Punga - leading to a trippy sequence of smashing Nuka Cola Quantums, giant Bobbleheads and coming face-to-face with the corpse of your dead mother.

3. Lonesome Road
Next is the final DLC released for Fallout: New Vegas, Lonesome Road. Is Fallout too easy for you? Do you need a challenge in your life? Then look no further. Lonesome Road is the most challenging DLC of the Fallout games I've played - namely due to some of the most highly irradiated areas in the game, bosses and enemies with ridiculously overpowered weapons and armour, a general lack of supplies lying around and vending machines with overpriced merchandise. The title Lonesome Road is a little misleading, however - as you do get a 'new' companion, in the form of a prototype? E-DE robot - which has the added bonus of the ED-E companion in the Mojave Wasteland receiving the same upgrades, allowing him to craft weapons, ammunition and the like. The quests are relatively simple, all really given the target of getting through each area - which allows you to explore said areas to your heart's content. The side mission of detonating all of the discarded nuclear warheads is also a great scavenger hunt quest and the ridiculously overpowered secret Deathclaw boss is fucking insane. Also, the main antagonist of the DLC, Ulysses is one of the biggest knobs in gaming - who constantly talks to you, but his dialogue choices will change depending on choices you previously made in the main game, such as who you sided with.

2. Mothership Zeta
My second-favourite DLC is the Mothership Zeta DLC from Fallout 3. This DLC is great, based purley on how different it is. You're not exploring forgotten reaches of nuclear-blasted wasteland like every other DLC - you're on a fucking alien spaceship! The DLC even opens with a nice 1st-person shot of your character being violently anally probed - completed with screen blood. (Anal probes are funny :P) Also, unlike some other DLCs, the mothership remains accessible (some of it anyway) after completing the DLC, it comes with some great characters, most of which can be followers - and it can double as a player home. To go along with the alien theme, there's a shitload of new weapons and items - complete with the standard fare, under the guise that the aliens are studying Earth's technology and culture - awesome. While some of the quests can be a little linear, and as a mentioned earlier - some of the areas become blocked off after they're completed, the fun characters, interesting quests and overall different feel - Mothership Zeta is out of this world. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

1. Old World Blues
And my personal favourite DLC is Old World Blues, from Fallout: New Vegas. This DLC is fucking amazing. It embodies both the classic Fallout wasteland feel as well as embracing the more advanced technology with robots, laser weaponry, cyborg dogs and it also includes the utterly bizarre. The characters are all great, some of them are genuinely hilarious - especially your disembodied brain. Speaking of which, at the start of this DLC, you're stripped of not only your equipment - but your major organs - your heart, your brain and your spine - which can really mess with your current SPECIAL points and character skillset. The new items and weapons are a lot of fun, the enemies are a tough challenge - the quests are all very different and some even provide a unique challenge - such as the stealth maze. Probably the best part of this DLC is the amazing player home known as The Sink - in which all of your household objects talk - including slutty lightswitches, a germophobic basin, a psychotic toaster hell-bent on world domination, a suave fertilizer station and Muggy - your own personal mini Secruitron who is obsessed with coffee mugs. This DLC allows for maximum exploration as well as quests, sidequests and secrets and never once feels restrictive or linear. Amazing from start to finish - you MUST play it.